The Jalen Hurts Dilemma: Let Nick Saban make the call

TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBRC) - Part of the fun of college football season is that we can all be Monday morning quarterbacks - you know, back seat drivers who have all the answers.

Forget about a coach who owns six national championships and is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time. It’s not the coach who has the answers, but rather us. And in today’s world of social media, we’re never shy about expressing our opinions.

One person who has been getting lots of attention the last few days is Bama’s back-up quarterback. Yep, it seems that we all know what’s best for Jalen Hurts - in fact the buzz on Friday had Jalen’s future all planned out.

The problem? The only people I’d trust to confirm this news is Coach Saban, Jalen and Jalen’s parents. And from where I sit, none of these people have commented on Jalen’s future.

The big story to make the rounds? In order to preserve a full year of eligibility should he transfer, Jalen would not play the rest of the season, thus preserving a full year should be play in four games or fewer. The thought is that Jalen will see action only if Tua Tagovailoa is hurt.

What happened on Saturday? Jalen Hurts trotted onto the field late in the first quarter, then he had a decent game as he went 7 of 9 for 93 yards and two touchdowns in Bama’s 57-7 win over Arkansas State.

So much for Jalen not playing unless Tua was injured.

Could this new theory regarding Jalen still be correct? Yes, indeed! Jalen can play in two more games and still be allowed two seasons of eligibility with a different team. But it sure didn’t look like Coach Saban was worried about Jalen’s redshirt issues when he inserted Hurts into the game on Saturday.

Here’s my take: While a deal to keep Jalen at four games or less in 2018 could indeed be in the works, I haven’t heard it from Coach Saban, Jalen or Jalen’s dad Averion. How about we let Nick Saban make the decision with the Hurts family while we all just chill? Most of Nick Saban’s decisions in the past have worked out well. I trust that the Jalen Hurts saga will play out just fine - no thanks to us, a.k.a. the experts.